Headbox cover for venetian blinds



y 1951 F. J. BURNS 2,551,787

HEADBOX COVER FOR VENETIAN BLINDS Filed Dec. 15, 1947 INVENTOR. 1W 5ww ATTORNEY Patented May 8, 1951 TATES FATENT OFFICE HEADBOX COVER FOR VENETIAN BLINDS Fred J. Burns, Saginaw, Mich., assignor to The Columbia Mills, Inc., New York, N. Y.

Application December 15, 1947, Serial No. 791,879

1 Claim. (01. 160-178) This invention relates to Venetian blinds and more particularly to the headbox in which the mechanical actuating means is mounted.

One of the prime objects of the invention is to design and provide a cover and dust guard for the open top of the headbox to protect the interior thereof and the mechanism mounted therein from dust and dirt.

Another object is to provide a simple, practical, and inexpensive closure means for the open top of the headbox, and one which can be easily and quickly applied and/or removed.

A further object is to completely conceal the hardware and blind operating mechanism from view, so that blinds mounted in windows directly adjacent stairways or other places where the open headbox is clearly visible, will present a neat, finished appearance.

Still a further object is to provide a simple, practical, and economical headbox cover which can be formed of crowned slat stock, so that it retains its shape and is easily and quickly applied and/or removed from the headbox.

A further object is to provide a headbox cover which is easily inserted in position and which has suflicient rigidity to spring back to original crowned straight-line position when flexed.

These and other objects and features of my invention will appear from the followin description in which reference is made to the accompanying figures of the drawing, wherein typical members embodying my invention are illustrated.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, front-elevational view of a Venetian blind showing a headbox with my cover in position thereon.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, the broken lines showing the cover being removed.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, transverse-sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Conventional Venetian blinds are adapted to be mounted in windows or openings where it is desired to control the admission of light and air through such opening, and usually comprise a headbox 8, spaced-apart ladder tapes 9 in which a plurality of slats Ill are mounted, these slats being tiltable as the tape is actuated by means of the actuating mechanism (not shown) The headbox 8 is usually substantially U-shaped in cross section as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. It is preferably formed of a light gauge metal, the upper edges being formed with turned, inwardly projecting flanges l l which reinforce and form a guide for the cover member 12 which is crowned as shown, and is of exthe ladder tapes and lift cords 9 and [4 respectively, and further sifting into the gears, bearings, and other operating parts (not shown) and this I have overcome in my new construction in which a cover 12 is provided and forms a closure for the open top.

The cover I2 can, of course, be formed of any desired material, but for ease of application, neat appearance, economy and long life, I have shown it formed of a single strip of crowned stock, the corners of which are slightly rounded as at l5 exactly the same as the strips which form the slats ill of the conventional blind, and which is purchased in coil form and then cut to length.

Spaced-apart ears to are provided on the flanges 9 of the headbox 8, and these are bent downwardly as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawing, so that when the workman slides one end of the cover 12 along against the lower edges of the flanges II, it readily slides over the ears E6, the straight-line rigidity of the slat, due to the crowning, insuring the end readily feeding over the remaining ears until the cover fully covers the open top. The fact that the corners are rounded eliminates snagging etc. and no fussy precision threading is necessary.

In the present instance I have shown the ears bent downwardly on the flanges H; however, it will be understood that they may be bent upwardly, or they may be formed on the edges of the cover itself without departing from the spirit of the invention.

From the foregoing description, it will be obvious that I have perfected a very simple, practical, and inexpensive closure for the headbox of Venetian blinds, which can be easily manufactured and readily applied and/or removed.

What I claim is:

The combination with an elongated metallic Venetian blind headbox, U-shaped in cross-section, open at the top and having inwardly extending flanges formed integral with the upper edges thereof, and spaced-apart, depressed tabs punched in said flanges, of an elongated strip of metallic, crowned slat material having rounded corners engageable with said flanges, said slat being slidable between said tabs and said flanges to form a closure for the open top of the headboX.

FRED J. BURNS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

. UNITED STATES PATENTS actly the same stock as the slats, so that both new Number Name Date and/or waste slat stock can be used when avail- 150,929 Zuckschwerdt May 12, 1874 able, 2,083,565 Hothersall June 15, 1937 Normally, the headbox 8 is open at the top, 2,089,812 Seidel Aug. 10, 1937 and consequently, dust, dirt and other foreign 2,202,293 Lawson 1- May 28, 1940 matter seeps thereinto, soiling the upper ends of 2,260,726 Rosenbaum Oct. 28, 1941 

